Game Studies Books

Diane Derrick's from flitch to ash: a musing on trees and carving which takes glimpses into the writer/sculptor's memory of her forays with flitch (wood) including amazing digitized depictions of the scupture pieces is a work of art itself. The fact that the actual wooden scupture pieces no longer exist because of a devastating fire gives the reader a strange sense of perception and reality. The more one reads, the more magical and wonderful this unique book seems to be. Derrick draws the reader into another world. She mesmerizes and explains in an emotionally satisfying way that which may be unfamiliar, the mystical nature of wood, its history in art, and the compulsion that drew the author/sculptor to explore its ever-changing qualities and to choose wood sculpting itself as a form of artistic expression.

flitch to ash is not like a murder mystery you rush through to see "who done it", athough there are similarities that come to mind. There is a murder of sorts, there is a mystery to solve, and there is context, shadow, and much light shed on the subject of crafting wood as well as a keen sensibility of the larger landscape, the Mother of Wood, the darker mystical places, Forests. The author's discussion contrasting the use of wood and clay provides emotional insight into Derrick's experiences as she changes her medium of expression.

This little book surprised me. My fascination for it seems neverending. I keep going back again to look at the black and white images as well as the color plates. Each time is different as I focused on ideas and feelings that Derrick expresses about her work. The pieces themselves seem to come to life so full of character and womanly verve. You begin to see the individual subjects, both human and animal, come to life before your very eyes. They pop out, as the author described her first experience sculpting a face out of wood. There still is much to learn.

I am addicted to Crytograms!! These are awesome! they arrived very quick, and i'm very happy too! thank you.

As i think , iam the only one who know mr, Mackay as well Mr. macky him self. i read all his books starting from the first book to he last one pushing the envelop, and every time u read these book you know some thing new. and when Mr Mackay share with mr. Simin this the the maricle of negotiation tech. this book consider it the second greatest book in negotiation after Cohen's book, so if you could not find Cohen you will find simin & Mackay tell you how to negotiate

Dance and art critic Gay Morris presents A Game For Dancers: Performing Modernism In The Postwar Years 1945-1960, a study of the challenge posed to American modern dancers as the Cold War seized hold of American culture and the genre became categorically institutionalized. Chapters discuss the changes, for better or worse, imposed upon ballet, African-American vanguardism, modernist theory, and much more. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this scholarly and serious-minded scrutiny of a critical phase of the evolution of an art form.

The author says that "the primary aim of this book is to provide a critical survey of the essential ideas of game theory and the findings of experimental research on strategic interaction." (pp. ix) And he does it all! This is a very good introduction to game theory, especially for social/political scientists or for students who want to understand game theory without diving into a lot of mathematics. Everything is introduced very clearly. Thus, it is easy to read the book-which might be surprising for a game theory book. [Especially the chapter on evolutionary theory (Ch. 11) is very good. It is extremely intuitive and instructive.] I give five stars not because it is best introduction on game theory, but because it gives a broad and easy overview, which might even be useful for game theorists.

Written like a play in five four-scene acts with two interludes, this book is a joy to read - a pure joy! Academic writings of this kind, on as technical a subject as game theory, are scarce. I picked up the book thinking it would be a parody on some aspect of either economics, game theory, or both. Wrong - the book turned out to be one of the most effective and entertaining readings I have done in a while. The cast, the setting, and illustrations are all well done and likeable. The writing is so easy to understand that I found myself playing many parts and liking it: the audience, the actors, the director/producer, and the narrator.

The first act focuses on the fallacy of composition in economics and game theory. In a few page the author beautifully succeeds in showing the thin line between the profundity and triviality of scientific endeavors.

Act 2, entitled "Konnyaku Mondo and Game Theory" deals with the epistemological foundations of game theory. Apparently "Konnyaku Mondo" means "common knowledge" in Japanese. Common knowledge is just another game in which participants often think they understand "each other, but actually ... may be thinking about totally different things" (p. 42). Common knowledge is one of the sources of mutual misunderstanding.

The conversations of Act 3 enlighten understanding of the prisoner's dilemma and the challenge it poses for the efficacy of the Invisible Hand, and therefore the stability, perhaps even existence, of market equilibrium. One learns and re-learns that market failures are more pervasive than usually admitted, and not incomplete or asymmetric information alone, but also due to this Konnyaku Mondo phenomenon. However, before the act ends, it leaves a cautionary note against jumpy and unreasoned forays that confuse perfect competition and free competition - another source of mutual misunderstanding. Clearly I learned more about the prisoner's dilemma and game theory than I did from the movie A Beautiful Mind, and for less.

The two interludes provide an essential breather by concentrating on the "crises" in economic theory and game theoretic research. The brief literature review is global; the perspective mainly Japanese; the net gain definitely positive.

Act 4 is frontal in its attack of issues and ideas, and the most technical of all the acts. It deals with the implications of the Nash equilibrium for decision making. Along with Act 3 it clearly reveals that the author is an active theoretical gamer. Only an insider would have been so intimately familiar with extensions to game theory made by RJ Aumann and TC Schelling. The majority of us came to hear about the two only after they won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science for 2005. The book may be an academic autobiography, but I like it nonetheless.

The final act (Act 5) discusses "the philosophical foundations of the social sciences" from the viewpoints of both "methodological individualism and methodological collectivism" (p.195). Another source of mutual misunderstanding is that many of us fail to see that individualism is the basis for collectivism - which sounds like something I read from Bertrand Russell.

If W. Arthur Lewis's Hobbesian assertion is correct that human progress would have fared poorly without reading, writing, and the Scientific Method, this book does well for all three. I strongly recommend this little book, especially to researchers. Amazing - just AMAZING!

Voxi Heinrich Amavilah, Author
Modeling Income Determinants in Embedded Economies : Cross-section Applications to Us Native American Economies
ISBN:1600210465

I was looking for a reference material on Nash equilibrium in non-cooperative n-person games and this is the best book available. A must have for any game theorist: simply written and comprehensive.

Great review of game theory. I had to read this book for a class on game theory for my graduate program. My teacher is an expert in the field and he makes all of this students read this book.

Technology manager of the Ann Arbor District Library and lifetime gamer Eli Neiburger presents Gamers... in the Library?! The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages, a guide to planning, setting up, and running video game tournaments in a public library in order to earn a place in the hearts and minds of local video game fans. "Games are content too, and as a format, they are in high demand in your community, especially among those pesky nontraditional library users." Chapters discuss why tournaments specifically are a preferable option for incorporating videogames into the library (public game kiosks or unlimited browser-based games foster animosity over the limited resource of access to the game), why it's important to choose one's software before choosing hardware, why serving food can be beneficial (but there's no need for beverages other than ice water), and much more. A tournament based on a game that involves physical activity such as Dance Dance Revolution can even promote exercise and fitness! The step-by-step instructions for successfully hosting a tournament are especially appreciated in this top-notch resource, recommended not only for public libraries but also for anyone seeking to promote social fun and community-building through gaming.

Wonderful Books for Emergent Readers!